4 ways Indiana is really spacey — as in NASA and astronauts

Vice President Mike Pence kicked off the first meeting of the National Space Council Thursday by saying that "America seems to have lost our edge in space, but those days are over." (Oct. 5)
AP

Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council on "Leading the Next Frontier" at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, October 5, 2017 in Chantilly, Virginia. Originally established in 1958, this is the first meeting of the newly reestablished council in 20 years.(Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images)

The council is headed by Pence

"Some of the most precious memories of my youth were our little family gathered around black-and-white television, watching images of American heroes making history in the stars," he said Thursday.

As a freshman in Congress in 2001, Pence asked to serve on the House panel that oversaw NASA. Standing in front of the Space Shuttle Discovery at the National Air and Space Museum Thursday, Pence said he attended several space shuttle launches with his family. The experience may have inspired his son, Michael, to be a Marine Corps aviator, he said.

Former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe said Pence is one reason the space council has been reconstituted.

"The vice president has an interest in technology and space policy generally, so the council becomes a good venue to put some context to all of this," said O'Keefe, now at Syracuse University.

The last council was headed by Vice President Quayle

The first version of the council was created by Congress in 1958 and chaired by President Dwight Eisenhower. President John F. Kennedy thought it was a better job for his vice president. President Richard Nixon abolished the council in 1973. When President George H. W. Bush revived it in 1989, the council was led by Dan Quayle until it was disbanded again in 1993. The Bush administration's goals included completing the space station Freedom, setting up a manned base on the moon and sending astronauts to Mars.

Indiana has strong ties to the space program

Purdue University is called the "cradle of astronauts" because 24 graduates have been selected for space travel. That includes Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon — a fact Pence made sure the audience was aware of Thursday.

Light moment at Nat'l Space Council: .@VP reminds everyone that: "Neil Armstrong was a .@LifeAtPurdue University engineer ... that would be Purdue University in Indiana." For those on Mars, Pence used to represent Indiana in Congress.

Pence isn't the only Hoosier on the council

The all-star lineup of the council includes members of Trump's cabinet and national security infrastructure including former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats, who is Trump's director of national intelligence.

"Today, more than ever before, our nation’s prosperity, security, and identity depend on American leadership in space," Pence said. "And the membership of this council ... reflect the multifaceted nature of our work."

Coats said the United States must remain No. 1 in space "to keep America safe and informed."

"The dominance that we’ve had in space has been at least on the way to being equaled, or perhaps equaled, by adversaries who wish to do us harm," Coats said Thursday. "And we have to recognize that."